My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring
Chapter Eleven
Today was the day.
I woke up with butterflies. I hadn’t been this excited about doing something work-related since… I couldn’t even remember when.
After leaping out of bed, showering and getting dressed, I made some toast, then flew out the door.
I arrived at Charing Cross station and strolled towards Covent Garden, which was where the JCH London Language School was based. I was half an hour early, so I decided to kill time by grabbing a coffee. I checked my phone. Sophia had replied to the text I’d sent her on the train wishing her luck with her big pitch and also wished me well for today. Which reminded me: I must send her a thank-you card and some flowers later to show how grateful I was for her signing me up.
Cassie had texted me too. Although Mum was a child-minder and growing up I’d always been surrounded by children during the week, as an only child, sometimes I still felt lonely, so I enjoyed visiting my cousins. Cassie had three other siblings, but we were the closest. When we were kids, I always begged my mum to take me there at weekends. Mum didn’t mind as it gave her a chance to catch up with her sister.
Cassie
Good luck with the course! Still up for meeting on Sunday? Then you can tell me all about it.
We’d been warned that the course was intense, so not to make too many social plans, but I was sure I could handle one afternoon off. Plus, with Mum and Dad on holiday, I wouldn’t need to visit for Sunday lunch, so it’d be perfect.
Me
Thanks! Definitely. Have a good day at work. xxx
I stood outside the light-coloured brick building. It spanned several floors and had two large plants on either side of the grand glass doors.
I took a deep breath. Time to go in. Twenty minutes early was acceptable. Keen but not too desperate.
It was modern, light and airy inside. Even though the school had been around for years, everything looked so clean and new.
As I queued up at the long wooden reception desk, I glanced at the back of the ground floor, where there was a café. It was buzzing with students waiting in line at the oak-panelled counter and sitting around the cute blue tables and chairs. I liked the vibe of this place. Despite my nerves at the time, I remembered having the same warm feeling when I’d first come for my interview.
After greeting the receptionist and signing in, I walked across the shiny light grey tiles, through the barriers, then up to the second floor, following the signs to the classroom.
The door was open. As I came inside, I saw I wasn’t the only early bird. Five other people, three women and two men, were already seated at the shiny white desks with their books in front of them.
‘Is this the PEFLITC class?’ I asked a lady with shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes.
‘Yes! There’s a seat over here if you want it.’ She smiled and took her bag off the charcoal-grey chair.
Like the rest of the building, this classroom was also modern. Light grey checked carpet and fresh white walls, with a lime feature wall at the back and a large whiteboard at the front of the class.
‘Thanks. I’m Bella.’
‘Hi, Bella. I’m Faye.’
‘Nice to meet you.’ I unpacked the brand new notepad Sophia had included in the box of books. It was bright yellow and had Follow Your Dreams written across the front. I loved it. I pulled out a pen and some textbooks.
‘Have you done any language teaching before?’ she asked.
‘I’m an English teacher at a secondary school,’ I said, turning to face her, ‘but I’ve never taught English as a second language before. You?’
‘I helped a couple of kids with their English when I was travelling years ago and did a stint as an au pair, but I haven’t had any proper training or been in a classroom for donkey’s years—not since I was at school, so I’m really nervous. Oooh. Looks like our teacher’s arrived!’ Faye sat up straighter.
‘Great.’ I spun around and…
What the…
‘Morning, everyone. Welcome to the PEFLITC course. Let me start by introducing myself…’
Oh God.
He really didn’t need to.
At least not to me.
I knew exactly who he was.
‘My name is Mike and I’ll be your tutor.’
What were the chances?
Just when I thought I’d be able to push him out of my mind, up he popped. Like a jack-in-the-box.
Yesterday I’d said I’d be fine as long as I didn’t see Mike again. And now he was going to be our tutor: for a whole month. Four weeks of intensive lessons. Twenty solid days. Together. In the same room.
It would be impossible to avoid or forget about him now.
This course might be good for my career prospects, but not for my emotions.
With Mike back in my life, if I wasn’t careful, my heart could become mincemeat.
I was completely and utterly screwed.